The wrong move

Roy Halladay is on the trade block and Toronto GM J.P. Ricciardi says he will listen to offers from everybody, but even if he was crazy enough to deal his ace to Boston, the Red Sox should choose to walk away

J.P. Ricciardi wouldn't ask the Red Sox for just Clay Buchholz and Michael Bowden if he were to give them Roy Halladay. Theo Epstein would have to send both the Portland (AA) and Pawtucket (AAA) buses to Toronto, after pit-stopping in Boston to pick up Jacoby Ellsbury and Daniel Bard.

Clearly, there's a little bit of an exageration in there, but not much. For Toronto to send Halladay - one of the game's best pitchers - to another team in the American League East, it would have to be for a King's ransom. Hence, the prospect-filled buses.

Don't get me wrong. I'm the first person to advise general managers in any sport to give up the prospects in order to receive the sure thing. But the Boston Red Sox aren't in need of pitching at the moment, regardless of how good Halladay is.

At 32, Halladay is as good as they come. He won the Cy Young award in 2003, and is a two-time 20-game winner (22-7 in 2003; 20-11 in 2008). Also having won 19 games in 2002, Halladay has put together one of the strongest resumes in the league since his first start in 1998, and yet, has never been to a postseason.

That's not his fault. It's a combination of two things: how bad his teams have been, and how much the Red Sox and Yankees have dominated.

Adding Halladay's electric stuff to an already dominant Boston rotation, and surrounding him with an All-Star offensive cast would certainly make the Red Sox an overwhelming favorite to win the World Series for several seasons to come.

But as exciting as it sounds, this Red Sox team will be a favorite to win the World Series for several seasons to come without adding Halladay. Josh Beckett, 29, and Jon Lester, 25, are young enough and dominant enough to carry Boston to several championships in the near future. Throw in a Daisuke Matsuzaka, 28, who won't begin next season with an ass-backwards regimen that is the World Baseball Classic, and you have three young starters that each have the potential to win 18 games.

Piling on top prospect after top prospect to upgrade a position that doesn't need upgrading wouldn't be a wise business decision. But that's not to say those top prospects shouldn't be held onto forever.

Because as much as people in Boston have fallen in love with someone like Buchholz, refusing to package him in a deal for, let's say, Florida shortstop Hanley Ramirez would also be an unintelligent business move.

At the end of the day, Ricciardi would need to be half in the wrapper to deal Halladay to any team within his division. Chances are, he'll only agree to entertain deals with the Red Sox and Yankees in order to use their offers to up the ante for National League teams like the Phillies and Mets, who will certainly be interested in adding Halladay to their rotation.

But in the case that Ricciardi is actually trying to get fired, and is willing to pull the trigger on a deal with the Red Sox, he'd surely be asking for way too much. And if the Red Sox are going to give up their top prospects like Buchholz and Bowden (which I believe they will this offseason), then why not try to fill a hole in the process.

Those holes will be more evident into, and after, next season, and guys like Buchholz and Bowden won't have any higher trade value than this coming offseason.

As for those holes, both David Ortiz and Mike Lowell only have one more guaranteed season on the books with the Red Sox in 2010, with the club holding an option on a 35-year-old Ortiz for 2011. Lowell will turn 37 before the 2011 season starts.

Assuming they re-sign Jason Bay after this season, the Red Sox still have to think about acquiring a bat this offseason, while those top prospects are still highly touted.

And then there's the issue at shortstop. Nomar Garciaparra's return to Fenway this week made us all long for the days of a young, exciting franchise shortstop. Nick Green is not the long-term answer, and those who have fallen in love with Jed Lowrie are nothing more than desperate to end the shortstop carousel.

How can you blame them? Edgar Renteria was a complete bust. Alex Gonzalez was great defensively, but was an automatic out. And even though the Red Sox won a World Series with Julio Lugo at short, we can all agree that his time in Boston is done.

So the Red Sox' big-time needs aren't pitching. The major need is a shortstop who's going to pack some punch at the plate. And if it means backing down on a deal for Halladay, and saving the prospects for an offseason trade that would bring in Florida's Ramirez, then the Red Sox would be making the smarter business decision.

At 25, Ramirez leads all MLB shortstops in batting average (.346), home runs (14), RBI (60), on-base percentage (.409), slugging percentage (.574), and OPS (.983).

His contract is heavily back-loaded, which means the longer the Marlins keep him, the more likely he'll be traded for even younger, cheaper talent. Ramirez' salary will kick up to $7 million in 2010, and then up to $11 million in 2011, all the way to $16 million by 2014, the least year of his contract.

It's something the Marlins will soon not be able to afford. Knowing that, it would be in their best interest to at least listen to a deal from the Red Sox, which would involve some of Boston's top prospects.

More realistic than a deal for Halladay, Boston would be a much more well-rounded team for years to come if they went the route of trading their prospects for a power-hitting shortstop, rather than adding a 32-year old ace to a rotation that's already stacked.

Ramirez is just one option. Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer is another. But that's for another time, and a deal with Florida is much more realistic at this point. Seeing that this Red Sox ownership group would have to understand that, a Halladay-to-Boston deal is no more than a video game fantasy.

For there are more important moves to be made in the future, the very, very near future.

Advice for Ricciardi

Toronto general manager J.P. Ricciardi has recently stated he'll listen to offers for Roy Halladay, but unless he wants to get fired, the Blue Jays' boss should keep him out of the American League East

WBZ-TV's Dan Roche joined me on Wednesday's show (27 minutes in) to talk about these recent Roy Halladay trade rumors, and we both believe J.P. Ricciardi would be nuts to trade his ace to either Boston or New York, no matter what the teams are willing to give up.

Listen to Wednesday's show in its entirety by clicking here.

Embracing opposites

During a week in which Red Sox fans gave Nomar Garciaparra his overdue thanks for a great career in Boston, Celtics fans welcomed a troubled, yet talented, Rasheed Wallace

Make no mistake about it, Rasheed Wallace isn't an angel. But in fairness to his on-the-court issues that seemingly involve nothing more than displeasure for the officials, his entrance into a Celtics organization looking for another championship has been accepted with open arms.

Both Wallace and Nomar Garciaparra are Boston's favorite people this week, but both personalities are polar opposites. Regardless, Tuesday's show included plenty of Nomar and Rasheed talk.

Boston Metro Celtics beat writer Jeff Howe joined me (60 minutes in) to talk about the Wallace signing and a possible Grant Hill acquisition. Howe also gives his reasoning as to why he thinks Glen Davis could be back in Boston in 2009-10.

Listen to Tuesday's show in its entirety by clicking here.

Standing O

Nomar Garciaparra received quite an ovation before his first at-bat Monday night at Fenway, his first return to Boston since being traded in 2004, and here's the visual evidence

It was Nomar's night, but some people were too stubborn to realize it.

To think, that there were those in this town - fans, reporters, talk show hosts - who actually had convinced their lowly selves that Garciaparra was going to get a negative reaction, or at least, not a great ovation like the one above.

And to those people, I seriously ask, are you alright?

Just talking about it yesterday on my radio show brought back the memories of Nomar playing shortstop at Fenway. I'm a journalist now, but I wasn't then. And something that seems to be done more often than not, especially in Boston, is that the sports writers and radio hosts are afraid to cross that line which separates journalist and fan.

I see it all the time. Certainly, there are many times in which crossing that line cannot happen, for fair and balanced reporting purposes only. But there are definitely times in which that line almost has to be crossed in order to realize the importance of an event.

Nomar's first return to Fenway Monday night was one of those moments.

It's too often that we hear about the negative stories of Garciaparra's tremendous seven-and-a-half seasons (1997-2004) in Boston. We hear those stories from reporters and radio hosts alike all the time. From the red tape around his locker that reporters couldn't cross, to the contract negotiations that went bad with the team's new ownership group, all of it is overplayed.

Why? Because the media doesn't like it when a player doesn't treat them with the utmost respect, for example, the red tape. So they spread the word that Garciaparra's a bad guy. Radio hosts all over take that bit of information and run with it. A refusal to stand at the top step of the Yankee Stadium dugout later, and what do we have? A Boston superstar-turned-villain.

It really was ridiculous how much it got out of hand then. And it was even more ridiculous for some of those writers and radio hosts to continue to hold onto whatever anger they had with the guy and use it to try and justify his return to Boston as being not-so-special.

Give me a break.

Go back and look at the numbers. Put yourself back in time, to 1997, when a highly touted rookie was living up to the hype, and then some, while he was amidst his 30-game hit streak during a Rookie of the Year season. Remember the consecutive batting titles and the popularity this guy had throughout the city.

Forget that he wasn't on the team in the 2004 postseason, and that he didn't technically win a championship. But if he did stick around, and the Red Sox still broke the 86-year curse in 2004, Garciaparra would have the keys to the city.

It should be no different just because he was traded. The difference in the 2004 Red Sox was Curt Schilling and Keith Foulke. Nobody truly knows what would have happened if Garciaparra wasn't traded. So give that argument a rest.

Nomar got what he truly deserved Monday night, a standing ovation that lasted over a minute. Anyone who witnessed it and disagrees with that sentiment is completely lost, and I feel bad that there are actually members of this town's media that can't get past a few of the negative times during his career in Boston.

Am I a part of that media now? Absolutely, but unlike some, I was willing to cross that line Monday night, and give Nomar his due.

After all, he deserved it.

Long overdue

Nomar Garciaparra returns to Fenway on Monday for the first time since being dealt at the 2004 trade deadline, a move that eventually led to Boston's first World Series championship in 86 years

There are only so many events in which you'll always remember where you were and what you were doing upon hearing a piece of shocking news.

Being told that Nomar Garciaparra had been traded to the Chicago Cubs can certainly be put into that category.

Say what you want about the man, but when Garciaparra was in Boston, he was admired by all. There are only so many players that can steal the heart of an entire region that's known for its legendary athletes.

Sure, his name was perfect for the locals to show their true colors, or for Boston wannabees on Saturday Night Live to have an excuse to do a skit in which nobody pronounces their "R's."

But most importantly, Garciaparra's talent on the field has never been overlooked. Nomar wasn't a must-see ballplayer because people just liked to yell his name with a Boston accent. He put up big numbers year-in and year-out, in both the regular season and the postseason.

Some of those numbers included a 30-home run, 98-RBI rookie season (1997) in which his 30-game hit streak broke the American League rookie record, and led to a unanimous Rookie of the Year award. He won consecutive batting titles in 1999 and 2000 with batting averages of .357 and .372, and finished with a batting average under .300 only once while in Boston, and that was with a .289 average in just 21 games after an injury-shortened season in 2001.

Those statistics added Nomar's name to the argument of "who's the best shortstop in baseball?" Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter were the other two. All three were great, but only one is still playing shortstop.

Jeter's days at short may be coming to an end, but his presence in the game certainly isn't. He's still one of the league's most-clutch performers at the plate, and doesn't seem to be on his way out, offensively at least.

Rodriguez's career has recently been tainted with the news of a failed steroids test in 2003, but still, his accomplishments since voluntarily moving to third base in 2004 continue to make him one of the game's best overall players.

Then there's Garciaparra. No longer in the same argument as Jeter or Rodriguez, Nomar is in a class of his own, a class that seems to be defined by a moment in, of all places, Yankee Stadium.

Even Garciaparra's biggest supporters couldn't understand why he was sitting on the bench with a sour puss on his face, while Jeter was diving into the stands for a simple out. Bruised and bloodied, Jeter was lifted out of the stands by teammates. Upset and uninspired, Nomar refused to join his teammates on the top of the dugout steps at the end of a big game.

It didn't help Garciaparra's image, which had already started to take a hit in Boston under the team's new ownership. But it also didn't do justice to what Garciaparra brought to the table in his 10-and-a-half years in the Red Sox organization (seven-and-a-half with Boston).

Nomar was traded at the deadline in 2004 to the Chicago Cubs in a four-team deal that shocked the city of Boston. In return, the Red Sox received shortstop Orlando Cabrera and first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz.

The new-look Red Sox continued to provide excitement the rest of the year, but it always felt as if something was missing. Regardless, those Nomar-less Red Sox ended up winning the World Series, making Theo Epstein look like a genius, and Garciaparra an after-thought.

But tonight, Nomar returns to Fenway for the first time since 2004. His career hasn't gone the Jeter or A-Rod route since his departure, but for what it's worth, when he was in Boston, he was one of the best, if not the best shortstop in the league.

Moments like tonight don't come around too often. Not because of his controversial finish in Boston. Not because his trade value landed two vital pieces to the city's first World Series championship in 86 years. But because Garciaparra lived up to the hype during his time with the Red Sox. He came in highly touted, and performed like one of the best to ever put on the uniform.

Nomar Garciaparra was a legend in Boston, make no mistake about it. And tonight, he's walking back through that door. Sure, he may be grey and he may be old, and he'll never be the player he once was. But he's finally back, and it's time to say something we've yet to be able to say to one of the greatest Red Sox players of all time.

Thank you.

Alive again?

Rumors of a Phil Kessel-for-Tomas Kaberle swap made headlines once again Wednesday, the first day of NHL free agency, and NESN.com's James Murphy joined me in studio to break it all down

Murph was in studio for the entire second hour of Wednesday's show, while he was working the phones and typing away on his "Murphy's Law" blog on NESN.com. Plenty of signings were made during the show, and while Kessel-for-Kaberle resurfaced, it's yet to happen. But we looked at every option for the Bruins this offseason, including what's going on with young defenseman Matt Hunwick.

Boston Metro Celtics beat writer Jeff Howe also joined me to talk Rasheed Wallace-to-Boston rumors on the NBA's first day of official free agency.

Listen to Wednesday's show in it's entirety by clicking here.

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Shaughnessy: Ainge to keep team together

Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy joined me on Thursday's show, and said he believes the Celtics will try to win another championship this season with their current core of star players

Shaughnessy talked to Celtics GM Danny Ainge early Thursday and believes that no major moves will be made this offseason. Also, he doesn't foresee the Celtics moving up in the draft.

Listen to Thursday's show in its entirety by clicking here (Shaughnessy interview 20 minutes in).

Unpack those bags

Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen have been rumored to be involved in several trades prior to Thursday's NBA Draft, but if Danny Ainge truly wants to win next year, he can do it by keeping them both

Boston Celtics GM Danny Ainge made it perfectly clear in a press conference on Tuesday: no player is untradeable.

Agreed.

Ainge would not be doing his job if he didn't at least entertain the possibility of improving next season. And according to reports, Ainge is doing a little more than just entertaining deals. He's offering them.

First there was the rumor of Rondo and Allen to Phoenix in exchange for Amare Stoudemire, Leandro Barbosa, and the 14th overall pick in this year's draft.

Then there was the rumor of Rondo and Allen to Detroit in exchange for Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, and Rodney Stuckey.

And as of Wednesday morning, there was the rumor of Rondo and Brian Scalabrine to Memphis for Mike Conley and Rudy Gay.

The deal with Phoenix doesn't seem to make much sense for the present. Trading one of the league's top point guards to add depth to a front court that's already set with Kevin Garnett and Kendrick Perkins isn't worth trying to set up the future, even if Stoudemire and Barbosa are each only 26 years old.

Stoudemire is one of those players who can opt out of his already large contract ($16.4 million in 2009-10, and a $17.7 million player option for 2010-11) to join the All-Star free agent class next summer that includes the likes of Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh, just to name a few.

If the point of a trade this offseason is to gain an expiring contract, then the Celtics should just hold onto both Rondo and Allen, because Allen's $19.8 million in the last year of his contract in 2009-10 will be off the books by next offseason, meaning the Celtics could just let him walk after that, freeing up plenty of space to become active in that mouth-watering free agent class.

And even if they're worried about Rondo asking for big money as a restricted free agent next offseason, if he's worth a big deal, then that would mean he's one of the more dominant players in the league at the tender age of 24, something you would think the Celtics would be thrilled to hold onto.

But with so many big-name players available in free agency next offseason, the Celtics would be foolish not to plan accordingly now, in order to have some salary cap space then to make a splash.

That type of thinking certainly shouldn't cause the Celtics to go out and sign off on that "proposed" deal with Detroit. Hamilton signed a three-year extension last year, averaging out at $11 million per season, and Prince is locked up for the next two years at $10.3 and $11.1 million. Acquiring those large contracts would rule out the strategy of trying to get involved in next year's free-agent frenzy, wouldn't it?

And Stuckey, who's only two months older than Rondo, isn't a deal-breaker by any means.

Assuming that the Memphis trade rumor was just a joke (I'd like to be in the room when Ainge is explaining to Garnett, Pierce, and Allen why he traded one of the league's top point guards for Conley and Gay), let's move on to what's actually going to happen this offseason.

It's time to be a little more realistic, if you will. It's time to realize that, sure, these trades were probably talked about. These players were probably being shopped. And for the right deal, Rondo and Allen would probably each be dealt.

And regardless of who's come out and stated they were the one that declined any potential deal, the overriding truth still stands: none of the above trades make sense for the Celtics.

If you're thinking of the future, then you shouldn't be looking any further than 2009-10. With a healthy Garnett, and yes, even a healthy Leon Powe, the Celtics will once again be a favorite to win the NBA Championship for the second time in three years. That includes a team consisting of both Rondo and Allen, of course.

So much emphasis is being put on the class of free agents after next season, that many teams seem to be more interested in the summer of 2010 than the season that begins in the fall of 2009.

But if it wasn't for Garnett's season-ending injury, then we may have been sitting here talking about a potential three-peat, not any potential trades that would break up the foundation of the team. That's right, I said it, the foundation.

Not Allen, of course. But Rondo.

In a point-guard dominant league (just ask New Orleans and Chicago), Rondo is one of the game's elite, and he's only 23. His jump shot is only going to improve, and his vision and ability to get to the basket is second to none.

Rondo isn't untradeable. Nobody is. But he's about as close as they come, because he's not a work in progress. He's the real deal.

And trading someone who's a top player at a position that's so very valuable, just to be able to open up cap space for next offseason, isn't the strategy that a guy like Garnett agreed to come to Boston for. Because if you remember correctly, Garnett originally declined a trade to the Celtics before the draft in 2007, only to come around to accepting it two months later.

Garnett changed his mind mostly because he saw Ainge and the Celtics take a step in the right direction. Instead of choosing someone like Corey Brewer or Yi Jianlian with the No. 5 pick in the 2007 draft, the Celtics traded for a proven talent in Allen.

That acquisition alone showed Garnett that Boston was no longer holding onto the hopes of a lottery pick saving them from the pithole of the NBA. It showed him an organization that was serious about winning, and serious about winning now.

And winning now should still be part of the game plan, regardless of how much better Cleveland is after a trade sent Shaquille O'Neal to the Cavaliers late Wednesday night.

The Celtics will still contend if they can be healthy come the postseason. And if they contend, then they'll prove to the rest of the league that Boston is still an organization that wants to win now. And winning now goes a long way, come free agency.

Sure, money is always a factor with any free agent athlete. But history shows, especially in this city, that promising a chance to contend for a title can be the difference-maker in that free agent's decision (even though he was traded, you can still ask Garnett).

Like I said back in 2007 after the Celtics traded for Allen (before they traded for Garnett), trading the No. 5 pick, and eventually some other young players, for proven All-Star talent would lead to winning. And winning would lead to rebuilding through the free agent market.

There's no bigger free agent market than next offseason, and the Celtics will most definitely be involved. They don't have to trade Rondo. They don't have to trade Allen. They can take one more shot with the players they currently have, and can move on from there.

With the Celtics, we're so used to looking ahead to the future, because for so long, we had nothing in the present. But that's no longer a concern.

These Celtics are winning, and they can win it all again if they keep the core together. Worry about the future when it comes. Worry about the free agent class of 2010 when they're available for nothing more than the signing of a check.

Let these Celtics try to win another championship, then let Allen walk, and maybe even Pierce, if he chooses to opt-out of his $21.5 million player option for 2010-11. Then hit the free agent market, and bring in a young stud, or two, to play with Garnett and a more matured All Star in Rondo.

After all, what better selling point to a free agent than asking him to join the "defending NBA Champions."